Amazonian Nights

Although they may not be as famous as the Arabian Nights, I find Amazonian nights to be one of the most calming and alluring things about the landscape here. Being on the Equator takes most of the guesswork out of daily schedules. Each night sunset begins around 5:45 and it is dark by 6:15. The jungle is a wonderful place during the day, but it is at night that the environment really comes alive.

Being so far away from civilization you might think that the nights here would be very still and quiet... in reality it's quite the opposite. As soon as the sun goes down the concert begins. From every imaginable angle comes the buzzing, chirping, peeping, whistling, singing, and myriad other sounds. It seems as though the entire world is vibrating with a hundred different tones of beating wings. This is the type of thing that people pay good money for in the States... it really does sound like I have one of those expensive sound machines plugged in next to my bed.

The best part of nighttime however is the storms. It's called the rainforest for a reason, it rains every day, and most nights as well. It's a wonderful thing to go to sleep to the sounds of rain on a tin roof, but my favorite part is not the rain, but the lightning. Weather it's a far off storm, or one right above your head, the lightning from night storms in the Amazon is a must see. Flashes periodically light up not only the night sky, but also the surroundings, framing the whole forest so you see only the outlines of trees, plants, and vines.

Lightning from a far off nighttime storm.

Needless to say I sleep quite well here, safe and sound under my mosquito net of course. The bugs do get pretty big after all, and I wouldn't want one as a nighttime visitor, no matter how much I enjoy their music.